Iron County register., 1887-03-03
NUMBER "a.

D VlGual ownership OF land, 1t havln
V become rooted in our institutions an
y in our very natures aud beings by fiv
thousand years of custom, and you Civ
) the Ceath blow to peace, order, and t
e the very existence of society.
o If that which a man has earned b
d long, hard and honest toll be taken iron
t him simply because it represents lana
+ on the same principle, why not ais
: take away that which represents cattle
A If we proceed upon the theory that b,
our original title the earth was decide,
, to US as the common heritage of all tn
descendants and heirs of Adam, in ex
amining our muriments of title we will
find that the beasts of the field and tn
{ birds of the air were given in the sam
instrument, with the same Limitation
and remainders over. under the same
And if We discard all title deeds, and
rely solely and alone on title given by
custom and prescription we will tinC
substantially the same attributes, con
ditions and limitat tions
Then. if all mankind takes the eartt
as joint heirs of (per naie ct per tout the
first man, he also takes 1.-The eulness
thereof by the same title and IN the
same manner. If my la nd is to be TAX.
ell, Mr.. Farmer" why not your horse?
What more right have you. sir, to the
corn in your crib, the wheat in your
bin, the hay in you stack, the hogs in
your pen, the cattle in your pasture,
the horses in your stalls, the turkeys
in your barnyards, than you have to
the land whence you got them, whose
increase they are-than you have to
the timber growing on your hillside?
And since, according to these mad
theorists, land is to become the proper
ty Of the State, why don't she, having
taken the patch, take the truck, too,
and, having it all, let her start one
fine. large national poor-house, extend
ing from the pine-clad hills of Maine
to the Gulf Of California, from Puget
Sound to the Florida Keys. from the
| >ff' ga pSehS ~ sIlC NtoluCu NatC, dho
why not turn the Mississippi Valley.
the garden of the world, into it's inner
courtyard?
Would it be for the public good to do
away with private ownership land?
The acquisitive propensity may work,
does work evils, has worked the evils
under which our country now suffers.
And this because it has been uncheck-
ed by public demand, common consent
law. But the acquisitive propensity
should be checked, governed, trained, by
healthy public demand, by just law
trained as fruit tree is trained-intO
the scepter of a peoples prosperity and
of a nations perpetuity. Unchecked,
unframed, ungoverned, it brings in its
train disaster, ruin. annihilation. A
hearty and universal acquisitive facul-
ty is national blessing. Its total lack
on the one hand, an abnormal, un-
checked growth on the other, would
soon be found a national curse, to which
plague, war, pestilence and famine
were blessings by comparison.
But show me the community not
fostered by strong religious fanati-
csm, with communion of prosperity,
where continued prosperity abode!
The incentive to exertion is lacking
where room and cause for individual
ambition, selfishness. and covetousness
is not found. Then take away the in
dividual ownership of land and half
the incentive 10 energy and action, and
selfishness and covetousness goes in its
company. The majority of us are slug
gish enough now, and with all existing
incentives too many of us idle away
our lives, as the beasts of the fields,
without aim, object or end in view
Great God! What would it be if we
had fewer incentives. fewer needs
spurring us on!
Then, when the farmer was only a
tenant and not owner, all of the evils
of tenancy would exist to an extent ag
gravated to the utmost limits. The
best of men are not as assiduous in
dtching, draining, fencing, cutting
brush, fertilizing another's land, as he
is his OWE. Then, w3en this new land
system goes into effect, government
rings will be formed, and the fat jobs
and good lands will of course go to the
friends of the party in power. And
when we remember the extent of official
corruption in these days of compara-
lively small opportunity, the mind is
appalled, at the picture of official rotten
ness then to be developed. One of the
least evils in Missouri would be that
we Bourbon, yellow dog Demo t
would have all the fat bottom-lands,
while our Republican friends would
have to take to the woods, the gravely
creeks and stony hilisides. While in
Illinois it would be reversed.
/ much fear that when this system
goes into effect in America, the now
barbarous and filthy Tartar from the
steppes of Asia will send to us our
cereals, if indeed we have not by that
time forgotten about bread.
The individual ownersh ip of fixed |
and immovable property, as land, is as
to the changeful and row.
ing life so fascinating to mankind. and |
SO invariably leading to barbarism, as
the possession of an amiable and beau
tiful wife and curly headed-children is
encouraging to settled habits and good